Irish must realise this is a work in progress

Ireland will be bolstered by the experience of the likes of Brian O’Driscoll (Stu Forster)

IT IS easier to be Irish than to understand the Irish. In relation to the rugby team, do we speak of optimists or pessimists? The nation’s psyche was perhaps perfectly expressed by Lanky, the Munster fan in John Breen’s play Alone It Stands, who reacted to the province’s 9-0 lead over the All Blacks in 1978 by turning to his mates on the terraces at Thomond Park and telling them the truth: “Scorin’ against them, it’ll only annoy them.”

That kind of pessimism protected Irish supporters for decades and when, occasionally, there was a good day, it was the unexpectedness that made it special. But all changed in the past decade as Ireland began to beat England so regularly younger fans became blasé. In the…